Phoenix Suns: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

10. The first win of the season

For most franchises, the first win of the season is a formality. It’s often just the first drop in an empty bucket, one of many to come during an 82-game grind. For the Phoenix Suns, it was a major reprieve from the turmoil that had engulfed the franchise less than a week into the 2017-18 campaign.

In the first three games of the season, the Suns had lost by 48 points in their home opener, dropped another home game to the Los Angeles Lakers and been blown out by 42 on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers. Head coach Earl Watson had been fired and starting point guard Eric Bledsoe had been sent home that very day — the day of Phoenix’s fourth game of the year.

So of course, the Suns went out and beat the Sacramento Kings without Bledsoe in interim head coach Jay Triano’s first game in charge.

It sounds silly to say about the fourth game of the season, but the Suns desperately needed a win after two 40-point losses in their first three. Phoenix was the laughingstock of the league at that point, and though not much changed in that regard, Triano’s first few weeks at the helm prevented a disillusioned fanbase from slamming the eject button.

It started with the Kings win, which featured a clutch floater from Mike James, plus 22 points and the game-deciding free throws from Devin Booker with 9.8 seconds left. Besides, for a team that only won 21 games this year, every win deserved consideration for a spot on this list.